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I found this San Jose California built F-100 in Southern California in 2000 and purchased it from a private individual. Judging by the excellent, original condition I found the truck in, it had spent its entire life in the mild California climate. The original paint (red) was faded and thin in places and the wood in the bed was shot, but the body was in fantastic condition with the only exception being the usual dings in the bed sides and tailgate. The original 272 V-8 and 3spd OD transmission worked fine. I wanted to restore the truck to original, stock condition and started down that path but subsequently found the steering effort and brakes, even in restored condition left a lot to be desired if I was going to enjoy this truck. So, I did a lot of research on front suspension systems, especially those used in 50' s Ford trucks and ultimately decided on the Mustang II setup produced by Fatman Fabrications in Charlotte, N.C.. Then I got unbelievably lucky. Relocation for work had taken me to that part of the U.S. and Fatman agreed to do the work on my truck in his shop. I wanted to stay "all Ford" as much as I could so I purchased a brand new crate engine from a Ford dealer and Fatman sourced a B& M built Ford AOD transmission and 9" Ford rear end for me. I couldn' t have been happier with the quality of work Fatman and his guys did. Fatman oversaw the project himself and being a hot-rodder at heart had many great suggestions for the other components, from disc brakes to intake & carburetor, which I gladly accepted. As much as I love this truck I have never really used it as much as I thought I would, thus the 1, 500 miles on the clock since it was completed. New Components installed: 5.0 Liter Ford Racing Long Block engine assembly with GT-40 Aluminum heads (320 HP) Ford Racing Starter Ford Motorsport headers Zoops chrome engine/component brackets Edelbrock manifold, carburetor & air cleaner Holley electric fuel pump B& M shifter/Ford AOD trans. Perma Cool transmission oil cooler Lokar Ford AOD Kick Down Kit Ididit Tilt Steering Column Autometer gauges Pertronix electronic ignition Taylor Pro-Series ignition wires Vintage Air Conditioning & heater Cool Craft Aluminum radiator (2012) Torque Thrust II wheels (15X8"rear, 15X7"front) BFG T/A Radial tires Flowmaster dual exhaust No sound system but plenty of room to install your own. The truck has all original 1956 American steel in it with the exception of the bedsides and tailgate that were replaced during the project. In terms of any "cons" on my truck.....the frame was not powder coated during the project, just painted black. The fuel sender may need to be replaced as the gauge seems to be off. I recently retired and my wife & I are downsizing to a smaller home so garage space will be reduced.
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